One Lovely Blog {Blog Award}

Hey y'all,

Sara from Sara Smiles, who I originally met via the internet way back when I was in college and had a Tumblr, was so sweet to nominate me for the One Lovely Blog Award. These posts are so fun to mix it up and you really get to know the person behind the blog.

How this whole thing works:  I answer the questions Sara left for me, then I nominate some of my favorite blogs. They then answer the questions I leave below!

1. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Europe. I loved living there and there are so many places I still want to explore like Denmark, Rome, Portugal, etc. I have never really been an island person even though I love the beach, it must be my pale, sunburn prone skin but I love the cultures and history of the various nations of Europe.

via

2. What is your favorite season?

Spring! Next favorite would have to be fall but except for a lot of rain and my allergies I think Spring is perfect. You get to wear your sandals and sundresses without the 100 degree heat!

3. If you had to be stranded on a deserted island with one person who would you want that one person to be?
Hmm, this one is pretty tough. As far as having people to hang out with until we are rescued I would probably say either my bestie, aMl, my best guy friend TS, or my Mom. If we are talking about surviving on the island hands down my Dad. He would be able to hunt and fish for food, perform medical procedures if we get hurt, and I am sure he could have us out of there in no time.

4. Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
I had a doll called "Special Dolly" that I took every where as a child. She was essentially my security blanket. Apart from that I loved my American Girl Doll Molly.

Special Dolly was a Fisher Price Puffalump

5. When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

Reading a book or cruising through my social media to check on everything.

6. What is your favorite book of all time?
It would probably be a tie between Mansfield Park and Ella Enchanted. I know they are so different but I read both of them almost every year and the stories never get old. I also love Acheron and Persuasion.

7.  If you could have any superpower what would you pick?
Not flying. I hate heights. I would probably want the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. Sometimes you just want to disappear for a while.

8. What is one of your life goals?
To become a Mom.

9. What song would you sing at Karaoke night?
I love musicals so probably anything from the Wicked or Legally Blonde the Musical soundtracks. I also am currently loving the History of Wrong Guys from Kinky Boots. I also tend to belt out T.Swift, Spice Girls, and Disney music. I mean, we don't have to win Karaoke, right?

 10. Do you have any pet peeves?

I think some of my biggest pet peeves occur when I'm driving. I have a bit of road rage sometimes.

11. Why did you begin blogging?
I started blogging after creating a Tumblr. My first blog documented a lot of my senior year of college. I loved the creative outlet when I was writing so many papers and there is such a wonderful community you establish when you begin to blog.

I nominate:
A Little Seersucker Sass
Chelsea of Girl Growing Up
Ryann of Meet the McCalls
Lindsey of Prescription for Preppy
Allie of Alexandra Bee Blog
C of The Portuguese Prepster
Ashley of According to Ashley
Chesson of A Southern Twenty-Five
Emily of Emily's Bright Life

Here are my questions for you:

1. Who are your style inspirations?
2. Name 5 things in your bag apart from your keys, wallet and phone.
3. What is one book you recommend to friends?
4. If you could be an extra in a TV show or movie what show would you select?
5. Did you make a bracket this year for the NCAA tournament? If yes who are/were your Final Four?
6. What's your go to recipe when you have no idea what to make for dinner?
7. Favorite song of the moment?
8. Favorite item in your closet right now?
9. What are you looking forward to most this summer?
10. Favorite blog posts to write?

100 Random Questions {Part 2}

Hey y'all,

If you didn't get a chance to read the first half of this post, I am trying to share more with y'all. Weekend updates and lifestyle posts share a small part of my life however, these questions share a couple of random things I'm not sure you would know about me. I know I have quite a few more new faces around here and I found the 100 random questions tag and split them into two posts. Here are questions 51-100. You can read part one here.

Q:  Ever used a gun? 
A:  Nope.

Q:  Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? 
A:  A headshot for work in December, and then composites for PBX were just a few weeks. YAY advisor photo.

Q:  Do you think musicals are cheesy?
A:  NO! I love going to musicals. I actually have season tickets to the local theater so I have seen Dirty Dancing, Phantom of the Opera, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, Annie, Motown, and Wicked since August.

Q:  Is Christmas stressful?
A:  It can be. I try to focus on the main reason for the gifts and remember that my family and friends love me no matter the gifts.

Q:  Ever eat a pierogi?
A:  Not that I can think of. I'm a picky eater so I doubt I will ever eat one.

Q:  Favorite type of fruit pie?
A:  Apple!Its actually the only pie I like. I love apple pie at Thanksgiving with vanilla ice cream and cool whip.

Q:  Occupation you wanted to be when you were a kid?
A:  Teacher. I actually taught my baby sister, kDi, how to read before kindergarten by playing teacher on our little chalkboard.

Q:  Do you believe in ghosts?
A:  Nope.

Q:  Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?
A:  Yes.

Q:  Take a vitamin daily?
A:  Yes, women’s one a day gummy vitamin. I get really nauseous taking the pill form of vitamins.

Q:  Wear slippers?
A:  Occasionally. I tend to be barefoot around the house mostly. However, I love my Minnetonka slippers and sometimes even wear them out since they look like moccasins and have a nice hard rubber bottom.

Q:  Wear a bathrobe?
A:  Occasionally when I want to delay getting ready.

Q:  What do you wear to bed?
A:  Old Navy PJ pants (I'm currently loving the bumble bee ones) and a tank top or old t-shirt.

Q:  First concert?
A:  Tait. They were a Christian rock band that went on hiatus since Michael Tait is now the lead singer of Newsboys.

Q:  Wal-Mart or Target?
A:  Target of course.

Q:  Nike or Adidas?
A:  Nike. Although my current running shoes are Brooks.

Q:  Cheetos or Fritos?
A:  Cheetos crunchy.

Q:  Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
A:  Peanuts & Sunflower seeds both in trail mix.

Q:  Ever take dance lessons?
A:  Yes. I took ballet lessons from the age I was three until I moved to Germany and couldn't find a studio back in middle school.

Q:  Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
A:  I think he will be someone in the business field but who knows.

Q:  Can you curl your tongue?
A:  yes.

Q:  Ever won a spelling bee?
A:  Nope. I don't have the spelling gene but my baby sister has and my bestie, aMl, was in the national spelling bee so there's that.

Q:  Have you ever cried because you were happy?
A:  Yes.

Q:  Own a record album?
A:  Nope

Q:  Own a record player?
A:  Nope

Q:  Regularly burn incense?
A:  I burn candles!

Q:  Who would you like to see in concert?
A:  Hmmm. Pretty much any country music star. I would love to see Tim McGraw.

Q:  What was the latest concert you saw?
A:  Blake Shelton.

Q:  Hot tea or cold tea?
A:  Both. Cold in spring/summer. Hot in fall/winter.

Q:  Tea or coffee?
A:  Tea.I don't drink coffee.

Q:  Sugar or snickerdoodles?
A:  Neither. I am more of a chocolate chip cookie kind of person.

Q:  Can you swim well? 
A:  I can! I began swim lessons at the age of two and swam competitively in elementary and middle school I quit before high school though. I have had my lifeguard certification as well.

Q:  Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
A:  Yes

Q:  Are you patient? 
A:  I try to be. I can get impatient though, just like everyone else.

Q:  DJ or band at a wedding?
A:  I think it really depends on how the couple has created the atmosphere of their wedding I have gone to ones with bands and ones with DJs and had a great time at both.

Q:  Ever won a contest?
A:  A couple. Not for any huge item but a few through blogs and things. My baby sister won a Samantha American Girl doll from our local book store when the Samantha movie came out and I remembered thinking she had the best luck. I have won off of scratch off tickets and raffles.

Q:  Ever had plastic surgery?
A:  Nope

Q:  Which are better black or green olives? 
A:  Black.

Q:  Can you knit or crochet?
A:  I can crochet a tiny bit, it has been a really long time. I cannot knit though. I have been taught a lot of times but I have never got the knack of it. Most of the women in my family can knit but I don't have the hand eye coordination.

Q:  Best room for a fireplace?
A:  Living room. However, I am not the biggest fan of fires. I am more of a fire pit outside by the pool kind of gal. It might be because I live in the South and fireplaces in the home are not the most important. I also have had friends and family work with burn victims in the hospital so I am fearful of large scale fires.

Q:  Do you want to get married?
A:  Yes!

Q:  If married, how long have you been married?
A:  N/A

Q:  Who was your high school crush?

A:  I had a couple different crushes but they didn't go anywhere. #shygirlstatus

Q:  Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your way?
A:  No, as a 25 year old that would be embarrasing.

Q:  Do you have kids?

A:  No

Q:  Do you want kids?
A:  Yes I do, someday.

Q:  What is your favorite color?
A:  Pink

Q:  Do you miss anyone right now?
A:  Yes, I have a lot of friends and family all across the nation and would love to travel all over to see them and give them big hugs.

Which question in this series has been your favorite? 

Any other questions you want to ask me?

100 Random Questions {Part 1}

Hey y'all,

As I continue to work on the vision of this blog I thought I would do a couple get to know you posts over the next few weeks. I saw this post of 100 random questions and thought this was a great jumping off point. I mean, you can read the Meet Jessica section so here are some things you might not know about me. Since 100 questions would make for the longest post I have written to date I thought I would break this up into two posts and you can read questions 51-100 next Monday.

Q:  Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
A: I think it tends to be open. I always sleep with my bedroom door closed but the asjoining bathroom and closet doors remain open.

Q:  Do you take the shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?
A:  No. I tend to bring my own shampoo and conditioner to hotels since I have thick curly hair that needs all the moisture ever.

Q:  Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? 
A: In. Fun fact, I rarely sleep under the sheets. I sleep under the comforter but the sheets are so restricting that I tend to leave them be.

Q:  Have you ever stolen a street sign before? 
A:  No, I have never heard of the appeal of stealing street signs. Sorry.

Q:  Do you like to use post-it notes? 
A:  Yes! My work desk is covered in them and I might have an entire drawer full in my desk at my apartment.

Q:  Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? 
A:  Yes. I love coupons and I try to use the ones I cut but sometimes I'm not the best at check on them. I do recommend the Southern Savers website for help getting into couponing.

Q:  Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? 
A:  I would go with neither but if I have to choose I guess bees?

Q:  Do you have freckles?
A:  Yes. 

Q:  Do you always smile for pictures? 
A:  I try to. I don't think I look great in a serious face mode and then there are the silly pictures which I tend to make a fish face for.

Q:  What is your biggest pet peeve?
A:   I have a handful of pet peeves. I hate when people are late without sending a polite text stating they are on their way. I have a bit of road rage when people drive dangerously. I also hate people who call single initials, monograms.

Q:  Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

A:  I tend to count them when going up stairs. For regular walking, I have a Fitbit Flex that tracks my steps.

Q:  Have you ever peed in the woods?
A:  I think I have way back when I was a little girl scout camping, but that was years ago.

Q:  Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing? 
A:  All. the. time. I'm also a big car dancer so I hope people are entertained when we sit in traffic.

Q:  Do you chew your pens and pencils?
A:  No! Gross!

Q:  What size is your bed?
A:  A Full. It's just me and it's the perfect size.

Q:  What is your song of the week?
A:  Hmm. I am really loving Lonely Tonight by Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe.

Q:  Is it ok for guys to wear pink?
A:  I think it's fine. I think it needs to be done well.

Q:  Do you still watch cartoons?
A:  Not unless I am babysitting. I do however, still go to the movies to see kids films. Over Thanksgiving, my family went to go see Big Hero 6 together and the youngest of us is 22.

Q:  What is your least favorite movie?
A:  Pretty much any movie that is what I consider "stupid humor." I don't like the Hangover series or Dumb and Dumber.

Q:  Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
A:  I can’t tell!

Q:  What do you drink with dinner?

A:  Water. I haven't been a soda drinker for over a year now.

Q:  What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
A:  BBQ or Ranch

Q:  What is your favorite food?
A:  Beef Stroganoff. My Mom's recipe is the best. It is more of a tomato cream sauce than a gravy. I can post the recipe if I get a lot of requests.

Q:  What movie could you watch over and over again and still love?
A:  Pride and Prejudice (2005).

Q:  Last person you kissed/kissed you?

A:  My last kiss was actually my first kiss. Since I don't kiss and tell I will leave you with that.

Q:  Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
A:  I was a girl scout. I started as a Brownie and quit after I bridged to Cadet.

Q:  Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
A:  No. I have some major standards of modesty in my life I would like to uphold.

Q:  When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
A:  I didn't get around to Christmas cards this year so the last note I sent off to a friend would have to be in late November??

Q:  Can you change the oil on a car?
A:  Nope, but the people at the Toyota dealership are more than happy to help Cora the Corolla.

Q:  Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
A:  No and lets knock on wood that it doesn't happen!

Q:  Ever ran out of gas?
A:  No and it's a fear of mine that it could happen.

Q:  Favorite kind of sandwich?
A:  This is tough. I'm partial to clubs and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Q:  Best thing to eat for breakfast?
A:  For the weekdays: greek yogurt and fruit. For the weekends: scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes!

Q:  What is your usual bedtime?
A:  10:30pm is the goal. I have to be at work at 7:30am so I try to get a good amount of shuteye.

Q:  Are you lazy?
A:  I don't consider myself to be lazy although we all have those days.

Q:  When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
A:  A clown, a gypsy, a hippie, a ballerina, etc.

Q:  What is your Chinese astrological sign?
A:  The Horse.

Q:  How many languages can you speak?
A:  One. English. I did take five years of French and three years of German so I can comprehend them a bit but I can't really speak them.

Q:  Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
A:  I don’t currently. I had one that I let run out. In the past I've had Vogue, Self, and Seventeen but I wasn't reading them enough to make it worth it.

Q:  Which are better legos or lincoln logs?
A:  Legos!

Q:  Are you stubborn?
A:  Yes. It does cause some tension sometimes, especially if you ask my Mom about my stubbornness.

Q:  Who is better… Leno or Letterman?
A:  Fallon. Although, let's be honest. This girl doesn't stay up past 10:30pm most nights so I mainly watch clips from the shows.

Q:  Ever watch soap operas?
A:  Yes. When I was in middle school, I watched Port Charles but I never got into General Hospital or the rest of the Soap Operas.

Q:  Are you afraid of heights?
A:  Yes. I don't do roller coasters, hate flying,  and I didn't even go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I am a big fan of being on the ground.

Q:  Do you sing in the car?
A:  YES!

Q:  Do you sing in the shower?
A:  Not usually. I sometimes sing when I have the ipod going while taking a bubble bath but I tend to only sing along, not just sing to sing.

Q:  Do you dance in the car?
A:  Yes! My sister and I might have a few coordinated dances to songs.

Stay tuned for next week for the other half of the questions.

What was your favorite thing this past week?